Point Salines

Was Point Salines always a tranquil paradise? Hardly. Point Salines, Grenada’s southwestern tip, holds a dramatic history. This seemingly peaceful point, home to Maurice Bishop International Airport, was once a focal point of international conflict. Before the airport, Point Salines was best known as the planned location for a new airport meant to boost Grenada’s tourism. The existing Pearls Airport was too small for large jets, limiting tourist arrivals. Then-Prime Minister Maurice Bishop championed the project in 1979. However, the construction, involving Cuban workers, became a point of contention with the United States. President Ronald Reagan saw the airport as a potential military base for the Soviets, a claim Bishop denied. He insisted the airport was for tourism, designed by a Canadian firm with contracts awarded to European and American companies. This point, now a gateway for travelers, played a critical role in the US invasion of Grenada in October 1983. The invasion wasn’t directly triggered by the airport itself, but by a coup d’état that led to Bishop’s assassination. The US justified the invasion by citing concerns for American medical students at St. George’s University, located near the airport. Point Salines, still under construction, became the landing zone for US forces. At dawn on October 25th, US Army Rangers parachuted onto the unfinished runway at Point Salines, facing resistance from Grenadian and Cuban forces. The Rangers secured the airfield, allowing C-141 transport planes to bring in reinforcements from the 82nd Airborne Division. Following the invasion, the US provided $19 million to complete the airport. It opened in 1984, becoming a symbol of the island’s complex history and its eventual return to stability. Point Salines International Airport, later renamed Maurice Bishop International Airport, transformed from a controversial construction site into a vital link to the world.